Leopold Stokowski – Rhapsodies (2LPs

Conducted by Maestro Leopold Stokowski, the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra recorded the “Rhapsodies” by Liszt, Enesco and Smetana on February 7 & 18, 1960 at the Manhattan Center in New York City. Sound engineer legend Bob Simpson, who has recorded several hundred albums for RCA, Impulse and other labels in his career, recorded this musical event with a 3-track Ampex machine. RCA’s studio orchestra of the late ’50s and early ’60s plays with power rather than brilliance and expressive rather than controlled, which only adds to the spectacle and was arguably just what Stokowski was looking for. The recording set new standards at the time and still sounds overwhelming today.